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On August 13, OSHA announced updated guidance for employers on how to best protect their unvaccinated workers. The guidance: Recommends that fully vaccinated workers in areas of substantial or high community transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers; Recommends that fully vaccinated workers who have close contacts with people with coronavirus wear masks…
Read MoreOn June 10, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ETS specifically targets the healthcare industry and the high exposure rates associated with those occupations. This includes “employees in hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities; emergency responders; home health care workers; and employees in ambulatory…
Read MoreOn Friday, May 21, OSHA altered its FAQ on recording requirements related to adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccination. OSHA explains that the agency “does not wish to have any appearance of discouraging workers from receiving COVID-19 vaccination, and also does not wish to disincentivize employers’ vaccination efforts.” Therefore, the agency will not require employers…
Read MoreOn May 13, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance on fully vaccinated individuals. The guidance now clarifies that individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 “no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules,…
Read MoreOn May 4, 2021, representatives from CWS met with the Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs to discuss a potential COVID-19-related Emergency Temporary Standard from OSHA. While details of the ETS have not yet been released, CWS raised many of the employer community’s general concerns with a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach to protecting workers during the…
Read MoreOn March 12, 2021, OSHA announced a new National Emphasis Program “focusing enforcement efforts on companies that put the largest number of workers at serious risk of contracting the coronavirus.” The program also “prioritizes employers that retaliate against workers for complaints about unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or for exercising other rights protected by federal law.”…
Read MoreOn January 29, 2021, OSHA issued new workplace safety guidance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. As OSHA explained in their press release, “This guidance contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and…
Read MoreOn November 6, Oregon’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration enacted an emergency rule on COVID-19. Under the rule, employers will be required to conduct assessments on the risks their workers face in contracting COVID-19 in the workplace. They will also be required to have an infection control plan in place. The rule will go into effect…
Read MoreAs of November 5, all employers in the state of New Jersey are required to comply with Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 192, which creates numerous safety and health requirements related to COVID-19. The requirements are targeted to specific industries as well as the employer community generally. The order also creates an interagency enforcement program between the state’s…
Read MoreOn November 4, OSHA issued new guidance on ventilation in the workplace. OSHA recommends, “Employers should work with a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) professional to consider steps to optimize building ventilation.” The guidance provides several tips on how employers can help reduce the risk of employee exposure to COVID-19.
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